Penology and Corrections

Penology and Corrections Theory 

The criminal justice system is tasked with dealing with undesirable behavior by whisking them away from society and rehabilitating them to become better citizens. This includes punishing the individual for the crimes committed and rehabilitating them to correct their behavior. The mission is to produce individuals who can relate with society and behave in the expected moral standards. Therefore, the application of penology and correctional theory plays a significant role in realizing the goals and objectives of correctional facilities.

On the one hand, penology refers to punishing the individual for the crimes committed. According to the theoretical approach, punishment assists with making the individual understand the incompatibility of their behavior with society's expectations (Welch 2013). It leads to a fear response in ensuring that the individual avoids the same behavior in the future. It is the expectation of the criminal justice system that once punishment has been served, it will deter the convict from engaging in criminal behavior in the future. This type of response, once realized, is an indication that penology assists with the realization of the mission and vision of the criminal justice system.

Correction, on the other hand, is meant to prevent the adverse effects that may result from punishment. Individuals in correctional facilities react differently to punishment. According tp Welch (2013), aggression is a common occurrence in incarcerated individuals, which may exacerbate their negative behavior. With correctional strategies, personnel in the criminal justice department seek to control the behavior of the convicts through rehabilitation to make them better citizens. In the end, the aim is to produce law-abiding citizens who can relate well with society once they are released.

Analysis of Correction Related Processes

Link (2019) notes that correctional related processes aim at reforming the offenders to become law-abiding citizens once released back to society. The criminal justice system has put in place strategies to analyze and determine the preferred correctional strategies that aim to reduce and prevent the prevalence of crime. Three stages are involved in the correction process, including;

Custodial – in the custodial phase, the suspect or convict is in the hands of law enforcement or correctional facilities officers. This involves holding the suspect or convict as their case proceeds in the corridors of justice. The suspect or convict does not have the chance to integrate with the rest of society before their case is complete. Once it has been determined that the suspect is guilty of the crimes leveled against them, sentencing takes place, and a punishment that commensurate with their actions is delivered.

Rehabilitation – correctional facilities are tasked with the rehabilitation of the suspect or convict in changing their behavior. Rehabilitation comes both as a punishment and a behavior correction strategy meant to help the convict change their ways and behave appropriately in society (Link 2019). As such, the criminal justice process of rehabilitation is meant to produce better-behaved individuals compared to when they were first brought in.

Reintegration – reintegration is the process of reconnecting the convict with society. This could take place during probation or once an individual has been paroled. Probation and parole officers are tasked with overseeing the behavior of their subjects in determining their suitability as trusted individuals in society (Link 2019). Reintegration helps reduce the probability of recidivism with probation and parole officers tasked with tracking the progress of the convict once released back to society.

Reform Movements Related to Corrections Systems

Since the formation of the earliest prisons in the United States, the struggle of determining the best alternatives to punishing criminals has existed (Mitevski 2019). Reform movements seeking to ensure just treatment of prisoners grew over time. Their activities can be attributed to the success in fighting for the rights of accused and convicted individuals at the hands of law enforcement and criminal justice officers, including wardens.

One of the oldest reform movements is the Pennsylvania Prison Society, formerly the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. According to Mitevski (2019), the movement sought to improve prison conditions and processes after noting the miseries that incarcerated individuals were going through. The conditions at the time were inhumane, which the reason for the movement was. From inmates being charged for food to poor living conditions, prisons in Philadelphia at the time were a complete mess. Through lobbying with the government and pushing for reforms, the movement realized better conditions for the inmates.

The 20th century was significant in the push for reforms in the American prison system. As the civil rights movement pushed for reforms in the liberal society, their actions influenced the attitude of black inmates. Many black Americans behind bars became activists pushing for better treatment and equality in the criminal justice system. Many incarcerated Black Americans brought appeals in the federal courts, most of which were ruled in their favor (Mitevski 2019). Constitutionalism was mostly applied in these rulings, with their attorneys citing the eighth amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment for offenders. Indeed, the push for reforms in the correction centers has had a long history. The struggle continues to date as prisoners seek further reforms in ensuring constitutionalism and equal treatment.

Criminal Behavior Assessments

Over the past decades, the number of incarcerated individuals in the United States has been increasing dramatically. This begs the question of the factors that contribute to criminal behavior in society as the criminal justice systems become overwhelmed with an increased number of cases being reported daily. To help reduce the increase in criminal behavior, including cases of recidivism, understanding the risk and need factors that contribute to criminal behavior is paramount (Bonta & Andrews 2016). This goes a long way in assisting with implementing strategies to help reduce crime rates in society.

Risk and needs factors are the issues affecting the individual leading to their engagement in criminal activities. They include such factors as educational level, marital and employment status, criminal history, gender, among others. Understanding these factors from a criminal justice perspective comes in handy in establishing the causes of increased cases of criminal activities in society. This would assist the government and stakeholders in coming up with programs and strategies to reduce the chances of individuals engaging in criminal behavior.

The best approach to creating interventions for preventing criminal behavior is direct engagement with convicted or former criminals. Conducting interviews or distributing questionnaires assist with the collection of relevant data from these individuals. Data collected can be compared to existing information and literature to assess the changing nature of criminal activities and what inspires people to engage in crime (Bonta & Andrews 2016). This information can be used to determine ways of assisting society to deal with factors that contribute to exacerbating rates of criminal activities. For example, poverty alleviation is one strategy that could reduce the prevalence of criminal activities. Most people engage in crime to close the poverty gap in society due to a lack of opportunities in the economy. As such, the government and stakeholders are tasked with introducing intervention measures to reduce poverty.